China has shot down a drone with an electromagnetic pulse weapon (EMP), the first time the country has tested the technology, according to the latest news.
A group of Chinese engineers used a new EMP-style weapon to shoot down a large unmanned aircraft flying at 1,500 meters, the South China Morning Post said Aug. 31, demonstrating for the first time China’s ability to develop such new weapons.
The National Interest quoted the news as saying that while the details of where and when the test was conducted are unknown, it may be China’s first public experiment with an electromagnetic pulse weapon.
The paper in question does not detail the date and location of the test, nor the distance between the EMP weapon and the target, except to describe that a drone was shot down by an EMP weapon while flying at a height of 1,500 meters, Chinese media reported, citing the British newspaper Daily Mail. This is the first time China has tested this technology in its efforts to catch up with the United States.
According to the presentation, the EMP weapon used in the test was clustered into a narrow beam, which means it has a longer range. Researchers found that the drone did not fall immediately after the EMP weapon was fired, but swayed from side to side. The researchers believe that the EMP weapon may have caused the drone’s flight control system to malfunction, sending the wrong control commands to the drone.
The Daily Mail said the United States had demonstrated an EMP weapon, the Tactical High Power Microwave Operational Reactor, in 2019, which shot down 50 drones at once, demonstrating its ability to protect a military base from drone attacks.
According to the data, the maximum range of EMP weapons can reach 10 kilometers, it generates high-intensity electromagnetic pulse energy to attack electronic information systems by radiation, which can instantly destroy radar, computers and other electronic equipment in a specific area, to paralyze the command and control and combat systems. In recent years, with the increasing maturity of related technologies, EMP weapons in the narrow sense are developing towards higher power, wider spectrum and smaller devices, showing great potential for application in anti-stealth weapons, anti-drones and anti-aircraft carriers.
In view of the perceived power of EMP munitions, the U.S. has warned other countries not to develop and use EMP weapons, but it was an early adopter of EMP weapons in actual combat. The Gulf War in 1991, NATO’s air strikes against Yugoslavia in 1999, and the attack on Baghdad TV in 2003 were all traces of US military electromagnetic pulse munitions.
Another source said that although the world’s reported EMP weapon power block is currently 20GW, Chinese experts said that the most powerful EMP weapons in the United States can reach 80GW, and China’s EMP weapons are designed based on their American counterparts.